In addition to routine items on the agenda – such as hiring an asphalt company to work on the high school parking lot and deciding to sell the old high jump and pole vault pits as surplus property — board members had a full evening. They received official notification that next year Lansing will be a testing site for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). In addition, they heard an update on plans to build a $52 million high school that would require voter approval.

NAEP test results are known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” and they are national news when they are released. Each year, the Institute of Education Sciences selects a sampling of schools throughout the United States to participate. Assistant Superintendent Daniel Wessel told the board tonight that ext year Lansing will be one of those schools. Performance of district students on this test will help inform the national discussion “about what students know and can do, whether their performance has improved or declined, and which factors may influence this performance,” according to information on the NAEP website.

Also tonight, a representative of Hollis + Miller Architects updated the board and Lansing City Council members on planning for new secondary school buildings. Earlier this year, Lansing school board members heard a presentation about the financial implications of taking on $52 million in debt to build a new high school. Bonds are a form of debt for districts similar to mortgages for homeowners. Voters would have to give their approval for the district to build the school, and board members plan to decide in July whether to put this issue on the November ballot. If voters give their approval, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay an additional $112 a year in property taxes to cover debt service.

The Board of Education meeting took place at the District Office; 200 E. Mary; Lansing, KS 66043. Next month’s meeting will take place Monday, July 9.
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About jwmartinez

JoLynne is a journalist and educator. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kansas and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Park University and is certified to teach high school journalism and English. Former employment includes work for Cable News Network and the University of Missouri-Kansas City in addition to freelancing for clients such as the Kansas City Star and The Pitch.